Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia in older people (ages 60+). When people think of Alzheimer's they generally think of memory loss, but the symptoms go much deeper than that. The disease works by attacking the areas of the brain that control decision-making, cognitive processes, and memory. Ultimately, it cripple's a person's ability to live their life independently and it will likely result in death. If you're curious as to what other symptoms victims of Alzheimer's experience, the National Institute on Aging has listed the following:
- Has difficulty with new learning and making new memories.
- Has trouble finding words - may substitute or make up words that sound like or mean something like the forgotten word.
- Loses spark or zest for life - does not start anything.
- Loses recent memory without a change in appearance or casual conversation.
- Loses judgment about money.
- Has shorter attention span and less motivation to stay with an activity.
- Easily loses way going to familiar places.
- Resists change or new things.
- Has trouble organizing and thinking logically.
- Asks repetitive questions.
- Withdraws, loses interest, is irritable and not as sensitive to others' feelings, is uncharacteristically angry when frustrated or tired.
- Takes longer to do routine chores and becomes upset if rushed or if something unexpected happens.
Now, obviously, just because someone displays a few of these symptoms, that doesn't mean they have Alzheimer's. Trust me; I have plenty of friends that meet several of these. However, it is something to think about. To give a better perspective, I found the following video on YouTube that features an elderly man with Alzheimer's. The whole things is kind of sad, yet lighthearted at the same time, although I will admit that the obnoxiously overlayed music by The Plain White T's didn't do much for me.
If you think that's sad, it gets even sadder when you look at the numbers. According to the CDC, as many as 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's. That's a lot of people (obviously). Chances are, you probably know someone who has it. To put even more emphasis on numbers, it's estimated that 5% of all people aged 65-74 have it, and the numbers shoot up as people get older, with nearly half of all people 85 and older being victims.
As far as causes, we don't completely understand how people get Alzheimer's.There are, however, two things that we know are definitely contributors: age and family history. As far as other things go, it's speculated that Alzheimer's may correlate with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. If you'd like to NOT have Alzheimer's, there are a variety of things that professionals suggest doing. These include things like maintaining a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise, engaging in stimulating social and intellectual activities, and more. The main goal, of course, is to take care of your brain. Remember: you only get one. If you'd like more details on Alzheimer's prevention, alz.org is the place for you.
Hopefully, I've provided you with something useful. I've always been scared of getting Alzheimer's when I'm older. It just doesn't seem like a nice thing to have. Luckily, it doesn't run in my family, but I know that's not a get-out-of-jail-free pass. I really hope I have something less depressing to write about next week. I'm gonna go be sad now.
Goodnight, John Boy.
Stevan, I always look forward to reading your blogs they are always very insightful, especially the video. Unfortunatly for me I did have a family members that suffered from this disease, it was really hard on our family. But, I always found it strange that even though my grandmother forgot everyone around her she remembered my father, of course not in great detail but she remembered who he was, his name, the nickname she gave him but that was it. Seeing her grow fragile as the Alzheimer's got worse was even harder for us, she would just sit there drinking wine withering away and it was really heart breaking for all of us. Anyway, I don't want to go in great detail of it, but great post as always. :)
ReplyDeleteMy sister-in-laws grandfather had Alzheimer's. I can only imagine how difficult it was for her grandmother but they loved each other so much. It was very difficult to see him struggle with his memory and often didn't recognized anyone. He was unable to care for himself and required 24 hour care. He has passed since but his memory lives on. I came accross a site, luminosity, that claims can prevent diseases like Alzheimers but I question their validity. What did you find in your research about such preventions? Great post, really easy to read and informative.
ReplyDeleteJust like you im glad i've never had a loved one who has suffered from this disease. we are fortunate, because from what ive read and seen, it is an intense thing to go through. not knowing who someone is, or where you are and even who you are may be the scariest things someone could go through. This disease not only pays its toll on the person with the disorder but the rest of the family has to deal with it because you are slowly watching someone that you love deteriorate and all you can do is help them with it as much as possible.
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